Morgagni hernia presenting in a 68-year-old patient treated for pneumonia

We report an unusual case of an advanced congenital diaphragmatic hernia (Morgagni type) in an elderly patient, which was initially diagnosed and treated for pneumonia. Surgical repair through laparotomy is the method of choice in acute and complicated cases such as our patient. She was successfully treated surgically.

Morgagni hernia represents a congenital form of diaphragmatic hernia that due to its frequent complications is regularly diagnosed during late infancy or early adulthood. Described some centuries before, its pathogenesis is still a matter of controversy. Nevertheless, authors converge into the option of surgical repair that, as a rule, ensures a definite resolution of symptoms. We describe the case of a female patient aged 68 years old, which was being treated for pneumonia. Due to persistent vomiting, malaise, and lack of improvement, she underwent imaging procedures that initially suspected and thereafter confirmed the presence of a huge intrathoracic right Morgagni hernia, needing surgery.